According to a Yahoo! investigation, Tressel “was informed that several Buckeyes players were selling memorabilia more than eight months before the school claims it was made aware of the scheme.”

Tressel received information that players were selling items to Edward Rife – the owner of Fine Line Ink Tattoos in Columbus – as early as April 2010, according to a source. However, neither Ohio State nor the NCAA investigated the transactions or the players’ relationship with Rife until December 2010, when the school claims it was informed of the situation by the local United States Attorney’s office.